10 Interesting Facts About Body Hair

In all honesty, most people would blanch when body hair is mentioned, because ‘it is disgusting’. However, having body hair is nothing to be ashamed of, as it can be beneficial as well.

Of course, most people hate it because it does not look appealing in photographs. Hence, models and actors shave their armpits, sportspersons, like cyclists, shave their legs, but they have a valid reason for doing so.

1. Short Lifespan. The good news is that body hair does not grow as much as our regular hair. In fact, it does not grow to more than a few inches, owing to a lifespan of about six months.

2. Muscles. Believe it or not, your body hair has muscle cells; it’s what makes them stand on end.

3. Intelligence. According to a 1996 study, the more body hair you have, the more intelligent you are. It’s a tenuous connection at best, but researchers found that the majority of male Mensa members had more body hair compared to the average population. It’s not a bad trade-off for all the extra shaving you have to do.

4. Two kinds of body hair. Terminal hair is long and thick, like beard hair, pubic hair, and armpit hair. (Let that sink in for a moment: face hair and penis hair are the same thing.) Vellus hair is finer, like wispy arm hair. Infant hair is also a totally different kind of body hair: lanugo. But you lose all your lanugo hair pretty much right after you’re born.

5. The Smell. Every terminal hair has its own sebaceous gland. The glands are responsible for producing sweat and protecting against germs … and they also create body odor.

7. Temperature. It can retain heat when we’re cold and wick away sweat when we’re hot. So before you consider laser hair removal, remember that it’s like shooting a laser into your central air unit.

8. Nothing Lasts Forever. The average for most people is around 100.

9. Hair Color. Blonde women tend to have more estrogen; blondes also tend to have a higher percentage of learning disabilities and macular degeneration. Redheads are more susceptible to pain, brunettes are more likely to get addicted to smoking, and bald people might die earlier.

10. Life in the Eyelashes. They’re mites called demodex, and about half of all people have them. They’re (usually) harmless, but in extreme cases, they can cause itching and inflammation.

12. Split Ends. So now you know the scientific term of that thing you hate.

13. Trims. A recent study found that 90 percent of people have trimmed or shaved their pubes in the last four weeks. The study also found that 60 percent of guys prefer a partner with no pubic hair. A surprisingly high 19 percent of guys are pubic-hair-free. And if it makes you feel any better: 80 percent of those people who shaved their genitals also reported itchiness.